Dana White says he’s “delighted” to see former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez launched from a California jail and return dwelling to be together with his household after a tumultuous chapter that started with a mass taking pictures in 2022 and ended with a five-year sentence and parole in 2026.
Why was Cain Velasquez in jail?
Velasquez, 42, was arrested in Santa Clara County, California in February 2022 after an 11-mile automotive chase by which he tracked a pickup truck carrying Harry Gularte, who was accused of sexually abusing his 4-year-old son. Prosecutors stated Velasquez fired a number of photographs from a .40-caliber handgun into the automobile, lacking Gularte and hitting her stepfather, Paul Bender, wounding him within the arm and torso.
Gularte, who has pleaded not responsible to a felony cost of indecent publicity to a minor, was touring from Morgan Hill to San Jose on the time of the incident, and his prison case remains to be pending. The Santa Clara County District Legal professional later described Velasquez’s actions as a “vigilante taking pictures” and characterised the incident as a severe public security subject.
Velasquez remained in custody for a very long time pending his ultimate sentence and have become an activist within the blended martial arts group, sparking a mass motion below the banner of “Free Kane.” In August 2024, he pleaded no contest to tried homicide, assault and felonious weapons expenses, avoiding a attainable life sentence however accepting a big jail time period. In March 2025, a Santa Clara County choose sentenced him to 5 years in jail and 4 years of supervised probation, with 1,283 days already served by the point the case made it by way of the courts. The mixture of pre-sentence custody and credit-building applications units up a path to launch ahead of life situations would recommend.
The California Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed that Velasquez was launched on parole on February 15, 2026, after spending roughly 11 further months in a state facility. Officers stated he had “accomplished his sentence as required by legislation,” noting each the numerous period of time he served earlier than sentencing and his eligibility to earn credit score whereas incarcerated. He nonetheless faces a restitution listening to in March, based on reviews, the place a courtroom will resolve how a lot he should pay victims below California guidelines for violent crime circumstances.
Dana White
White’s private connection to Velasquez was revealed through the Zuffa Boxing 03 post-fight press convention when he was requested the way it felt to see the previous heavyweight champion lastly free.
“Yeah, I am joyful for him,” White stated, earlier than pointing squarely to Velasquez’s dwelling life and the affect he is had over the previous few years. “Clearly to go dwelling to his household and discover out what they went by way of. And if that wasn’t sufficient, this man has been in jail all this time.”
By this lawsuit, Velasquez acquired high-profile help from figures throughout MMA, together with Dana White. In 2022, White wrote a proper letter to the courtroom asking for leniency, saying he had identified Velasquez for greater than 15 years and described him as “an instance of how an expert athlete ought to behave.” White praised the previous champion’s actions throughout his time within the UFC, saying he represented the corporate with dignity and handled others with respect. This written help existed alongside statements and fundraisers from fighters and followers who portrayed Velasquez as a loyal father responding to the allegations towards his youngster.
